THE Federal Government representatives are locked in a crucial meeting on Monday with a delegation of Academic Staff Union of Universities in a last-ditch effort to resolve the ongoing strike action by the lecturers.
There were also indications that the government officials led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, would also be meeting afterwards with the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the threat to embark on strike to force implementation of the new minimum wage.
The conciliatory meeting between the Federal Government and ASUU initially scheduled for 3:30 pm could not start until about 5:06 pm.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Ngige, at whose instance the meeting was held, in his opening remarks, said the meeting would be short since a lot of work had been done since the adjournment of the meeting December last year.
President of ASUU, Professor Abiodun Ogunyemi, said from the Minister’s expression, he was hopeful that there was good news to be taken to the members.
However, when journalists were excused from the meeting for the technical session, President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Danielson Akpan, insisted that members of NANS and journalists be allowed to be part of the deliberations.
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He said this would avoid the problem of discordance voices that usually come out of such meetings, he noted often leave the public without real facts of the deliberations.
He added that what journalists were always informed as an outcome of such meetings by the government representatives, most often differ from what the Union would tell while briefing newsmen.
Akpan, said the over 80 million students, he was representing were the ones that bear the brunt of the incessant strike and must be allowed to have an inkling of the key issues in dispute.
Ngige, in his response, however, appealed to the NANS President to repose confidence on members of the conciliatory meeting, assuring him that he would be happy with the outcome of the meeting.
He said the Federal Government was interested in revitalising university education to the extent on graduation the students would be happy with the quality of certificate obtained, he added would be globally competitive.
Since November 4, 2018, Public Universities across the country have been under lock and key as ASUU leaders insisted the ongoing strike would not be called off until key demands of the Union are met.
Also, labour unions, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have been asking the government to increase the minimum wage from N18,000 to N30,000.
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